Faith
by Hay389
Summary: She never thought it would end like this, strapped to a chair with only very little dignity left. In the last couple months, she had dealt with a lot. How she had survived through it all was beyond question. She knew though that everything that has happened up until now, made her faith waver. This is my own creative take on episode 7x01 with Saleem.


**Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is something that I kind of have been wanting to do for a little bit now. It might not be long but I hope you enjoy it. For now it's just a one-shot, although if you want me to continue I will because I have future ideas. Leave a review and tell me how you liked it and if you want the story to go farther. I am, pre-warning, a Tony and Ziva shipper, so if it does go farther there is a good chance that they will end up together or mentions of it. Probably both. I will be posting later on a story following up on the thirteenth season finale. Ziva is my favorite character and to find out so quickly and suddenly that she is dead and has a kid with Tony is just heart breaking. So i'm doing my own version, although it might not be out till around June maybe or late may. I am currently working on two Chicago P.D stories as well as a blindspot one. I also have my own story on wattpad that i'm working on. I encourage you to follow me or make sure to stick around for when that story does come out. Who knows I may even just add it into this story and use what i'm doing now as a beginning, so it leads up to Ziva's death. I'll only do that though if enough people enjoy the story and review. Now enough of me talking, enjoy the story!**

 **WARNING: There is torture in this story. If you are uncomfortable with that, I suggest you leave now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of the characters. I totally wish I did though. If I did Ziva would still be around.**

 **This is dedicated to anyone who leaves a nice or encouraging review, even criticism because we all need it. Thankyou in advance, even if it might be very few.**

 **FAITH**

She never thought it would end like this, strapped to a chair with only very little dignity left. She knew the day and month, but time was based on intelligent guessing. She asked everyday ever since captivity so in case that day would be her last, she would know when it happened. This was the only thing she asked of god, but was there really one to believe in? It was a question she had been asking herself a lot lately. Her father had taught her to always believe, no matter what life threw at you. She remembered something her mom had told her when she was five. They were walking along the באחו של יופי, which most tourists would call the Meadow of beauty. Yet most were American. If you were Israeli, then you knew the actual translation was in the field of beauty. She never knew why, but it had always bothered her that most people couldn't get the name right. Maybe it was because it was somewhere sacred that her mom would bring her. One day they were walking silently, hand-in-hand, enjoying the sounds of nature. Her curiosity got the better of her. She turned to her mom and asked if there really was a god. Her mother turned to her and had replied yes. There will be people who tell you otherwise and bad things that will happen to make you question what you believe in. Her mother called those tests, and the only way we pass is that we hold onto our faith no matter what. That was the last day they had ever visited that place together. Her father said she needed to focus on her training, not wandering through patches of flowers. If she had to be honest, those were some of the fondest moments she had with her mother, and her father had ripped that all away. Although, she had to admit she did had some special moments with her father. The greatest memory she has was when her father took her family to a festival celebrating Israeli culture. It stuck out in her memory because it was the last thing they did as a family together. The next week her mother took her and her siblings away. She had been thirteen at the time. Her father had his good times, but they were mostly stuffed away behind a door.

This moment, it was definitely not one of her father's brightest. She couldn't fathom the idea of her father just leaving her in a cell to rot, but she also knows the type of man he is. He is willing to sacrifice anything for his country, even his own flesh and blood. What really hurts is that she doesn't even know if he attempted to come and look for her. She realizes something, after all she had months to think about it. Her father taught her that no matter what life threw at you to believe in god, but her father was the exact reason her faith was wavering. It was funny how that worked out.

Ziva looked up as she heard the screech of the metal door. Three men walked in. She quickly looked back down, not wanting to give them the satisfaction she knew their presence was there and what they were about to do.

"Get up."

Ziva made no attempt to move. She looked at the man before her with a death glare. She then spit at his feet. The man now angered, kicked Ziva in her side knocking the wind out of her.

"לקשור אותה!"

The first man did what he was told and grabbed Ziva and slammed her on the chair. He then proceeded to tie her arms behind her and chained her legs down to the floor.

"Get out, the both of you."

The man waited until the door closed fully. He paced back and forth, creating a heavy silence.

"You've been here for almost 4 months, and yet the only words you ever speak are about the dates of each day. You will break. They all do."

The man pulled a needle out of his pocket, already full. He inserted the liquid into her arm and waited for it to take its effect.

"Tell me everything you know about NCIS."

Ziva smiled at him. She knew she would die before she gave up any information, but he didn't. They both knew she would break, but in different ways.

"If this truth serum didn't work the first three months, what makes you think it will work now?"

"It always works. This will end up being your downfall, but when is Unknown."

"Now, tell me what you know about NCIS."

Ziva didn't even budge at the question. She wondered how she had managed to stay loyal this entire time, especially on truth serum. It was probably because of her Mossad training. It was times like this where she was glad her father started her so young. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw movement from the man standing in front of her.

"You will tell me. One way or another."

A sharp knife was visible in his right hand. He twisted the point of the knife on his index finger before he spoke again.

"Tell me what you know."

This was followed by more silence. The man gave a wicked smile before he brang the knife to ziva's right arm and dragged it across. It wasn't deep, but blood ran down her arm anyway.

"Tell me."

"No."

This time he went for Ziva's leg. He made a small cut on her thigh, causing the material to soak up any blood that came out.

"Tell me what you know, now."

Silence. This made the man's blood boil. He was done playing games. He couldn't understand why the stupid truth serum wasn't working. It had worked on everyone before her. This and her loyalty to NCIS wasn't a good mix.

"You will tell me right now what you know!"

He screamed with such force that Ziva flinched, but it was barely noticeable.

"I will never betray them."

"Why be so loyal to them, when they haven't even came looking for you. You've been here 4 months and nobody came. No one cares about you, and they never will. No one is coming for you. You know, you can get back at them, just tell us what you know."

"I'd rather die with loyalty then die betraying."

This was enough to make the man lunged the knife into Ziva's left shoulder. He didn't put it in deep, but the amount of pain was still very high. She bit down on her lip, not once had she screamed out in pain in all the four months they had her here and she didn't plan on starting now. Right as the he was about to do the same to her leg, the door opened, making the same screeching sound.

"Saleem, we have the leader in the other cell. He was caught half an hour ago, and is ready to be interrogated."

"Untie her."

Saleem walked out as the man entered. He undid all the ties and exited the room. Ziva got up and walked to the farthest corner where she always sat. The sound of a man screaming filled her cell, the pain was visible in every way. Was this really how she was going to die, betraying her friends? She knew she was stronger than to think something like that, but it was a question she had to wonder. Her loyalty to NCIS was unbreakable, but only she knew that. Even though it felt like the team had betrayed her, she wasn't about to do the same. It was her fault she ended up here in the first place. Looking back on the months before captivity, she wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. How could she have ever said she didn't trust tony? Ziva didn't mean it, but she had said it to hurt him. Then she had asked Gibbs to choose between them. Ziva had to say that she wasn't shocked when he picked Tony over her, but somewhere inside she had felt a pinch of sadness and disappointment it was not her. If only she had not been so foolish to think Michael loved her and wasn't using her. If only she had believed in Tony, cause after all they were partners. If only she hadn't asked Gibbs to choose. So many what if's, yet none would ever get answered. There was no point in dwelling on the past. She had made her choices in life, mistakes or not she couldn't take them back. She had put herself in this position, to die a horrible death. Maybe it's justice for the people she tortured and killed over the years, or for the way she treated the team after everything good they ever did for her. Maybe they were better off without her. This never once stopped Ziva from thinking that one of these days Gibbs, Tony, and McGee will come crashing through the door ready to bring her back to America. Ziva never had any plans of being rescued. Why would anyone come now and after four months? The damage had already been done.

Ziva's head snapped up, she could hear bullets firing left and right. There was always the usual gunfire, but this felt different. For a small moment hope flashed across Ziva's face, but vanished just as quickly. Why would anyone save her? Her father probably didn't care and she had already hurt the team. There was no one left who cared, she really was going to die in this place. At least she would die admitting everything she wanted god to know, even if there wasn't one. Ziva lowered her head again and stared straight at the floor. The gunfire was still alive, and probably stronger now. The metal doors screech filled the room for the ninth or tenth time that day, who knows though. She had lost count. As uasual she had kept her head down.

"Ziva..."

Her head had shot up when she had heard that voice. It was filled with sadness and so much care. This couldn't be real, the person standing in front of her. She looked away, not wanting to find out. If this really was an hallucination, she couldn't stand him disappearing. That would be the worst tourture she would have to put up with in all her months in this cell.

"Ziva, we're gonna get you out of here..."

When he touched her, she knew it was real. The heat generating off him was enough to give her clarification.

"Tony?" She managed to choke out.

Tony gave her that foolish smile she missed so much and helped her off the ground. Maybe there really was hope.

 **And that's it, although I do have tons of ideas to continue the story. Let me know if you guys want me to or not. My decision will be based on the readers. Also sorry about and grammar mistakes, I double checked for any. I was just so excited to post this. :)**


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